Video 12:43
Candidates for Eden Monaro

Craig AllenUpdated
Mon Aug 02 12:09:00 EST 2010

Craig Allen goes on the campaign trail with the candidates for Eden Monaro.

Transcript

CHRIS KIMBALL, PRESENTER: But first the local seat of Eden Monaro.

On election night, this is the one the commentators watch, the seat that for nearly 40 years has been directly linked to the fortunes of the government of the day. The national swings to Labor or Liberal are echoed here.

The seat stretches from Eden on the far south coast to Braidwood and Bungendore and as far west as Tumut. But much of the attention naturally falls on Queanbeyan, the biggest city in the electorate.

Craig Allen trailed the main candidates and the impressive array of political heavyweights being called up for campaign duty.

There is a lot riding on Eden Monaro and don't the country's top politicians know it. The so-called bellwether seat has fallen to the Government every election since 72'. It's seen as the ultimate barometer of public mood.

JULIA GILLARD: We need all the advice we can get so that's a good thing.

TONY ABBOTT, OPPOSITION LEADER: We cannot win the election unless we win Eden Monaro and I can think of no better person to win Eden Monaro than David Gazard.

He is an outstanding candidate.

CRAIG ALLEN: Its close proximity to Canberra means Queanbeyan has seen more than its fair share of political schmoozing.

GREG COMBET, LABOR PARTY: I'm personally very keen for both of us to be re-elected and I want to do whatever I can to help

CRAIG ALLEN: I imagine we'll see a few more ministerial visits to this electorate over the next coming weeks?

WAYNE SWAN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND TREASURER: Too right you will because Mike is very well respected, he's a good local member and he's a very important contributor to the Gillard Government.

CRAIG ALLEN: Labor's certainly throwing a lot at this seat we've had Julia Gillard here, Wayne Swan, Greg Combet all within a fairly short space of time with promises, or threats, of more to come.

DAVID GAZARD, LIBERAL CANDIDATE: Yeah look I think people will understand and see through that, to be honest. We'll be outspent by the Labor Party. We're always outspent by the Labor Party.

They will come in at the 11th hour, throwing a whole bunch of money at brochures and television commercials saying, 'Really, really over the last three years we've worked really hard, trust us, we've worked really hard. You may not have seen us, but we've worked really hard.' So people in the country can see through that, I'm not too worried about that.

GREG COMBET: Get back to it, we don't want to interrupt productivity.

CRAIG ALLEN: It is a high stakes race. The Liberal candidate David Gazard needs a 2.3 per cent swing to unseat the Labor candidate, Mike Kelly, and both sides have called up to Capitol Hill for heavyweight reinforcements.

TONY ABBOTT: It is really fantastic to be supporting David Gazard.

CRAIG ALLEN: There's been a bit of conjecture over how we should pronounce your name.

DAVID GAZARD: Ah yeah, Gazard.

TONY ABBOTT: With David Gazard.

I know David Gazard very well.

DAVID GAZARD: I'll answer to it all I'm not to fussed about it.

CRAIG ALLEN: For the record, David Gazard is a former journo and political staffer who knows the political machine from the inside out.

TONY ABBOTT: Much of the good work of many senior officers in the former government was due to the hard work and the political insights of David Gazard.

DAVID GAZARD: I genuinely think that working for people like Peter Costello and the things that we achieved in terms of balancing the Budget, paying down debt, making sure there was no waste, that's something that served me well, and that's, I think, a great thing to have on your CV and I'm not going to back away from that at all.

MIKE KELLY, LABOR CANDIDATE: Well, it is a bit of an issue as to whether or not we always want Parliament full of people who have just come from that political background without broarder real life experience.

DAVID GAZARD: Staffing helps you know what you can achieve within the system. It helps you know how you can continue to put pressure on the Government.

It lets you know how to operate effectively to fight for people's concerns. So it's given me a good background so that I can take the step up to becoming a candidate and hopefully, if I win the trust of the people of Eden Monaro, the next member.

CRAIG ALLEN: Labor's going full throttle to get their man Mike Kelly re-elected.

WAYNE SWAN: And we're going to be out there whether we're in Eden Monaro...

CRAIG ALLEN: Monaro? You mean like the classic Aussie muscle car?

VOICE OVER,TOP GEAR BBC TELEVISION: This rather handsome looking brute is the Vauxhall Monaro VXR it's actually a Holden, which makes it Australian.

GREG COMBET: The member for Eden Monaro.

CRAIG ALLEN: But ease up, it's a mistake many blow ins make.

JAMES MAY, TOP GEAR: 1,500, it's idling. You fat Aussie slacker!

CRAIG ALLEN: Those who know its Eden Monaro recognise its strategic importance to both major parties.

MIKE KELLY: It is a real cross section of Australia, so everything that's an issue in Australia is an issue in Eden Monaro, so if you want to know how programs, how policies are working, or what is the real issues that are at play in this country, it's the best place to start looking.

CRAIG ALLEN: The former military lawyer, Mike Kelly, wrestled the seat from the Liberals' Gary Nairn at the last election.

Last week, Dr Kelly invited the Deputy PM on a local meet and greet, and as these things do, it started so nicely.

WAYNE SWAN: Hello, how are you going?

RACHEL, CAFE WORKER: Rachel nice to meet you.

WAYNE SWAN: How are you going?

CAFE OWNER: But never ask a question if you don't already know the answer.

WAYNE SWAN: How are you going?

CAFE OWNER: Yeah, good, no thanks to the Government.

WAYNE SWAN: No?

CAFE OWNER: We would like to some more tax breaks and...

WAYNE SWAN: Well we've got a tax break that we're doing.

CAFE OWNER: It is empty words and the thing that we'll still be here three or four governments down the track, so it makes no difference...

CRAIG ALLEN: The PM's also felt the electorates' ugly side, when it was Gazard versus Gillard on the hustings.

JULIA GILLARD: Alright we're going to meet a few people, thanks very much.

DAVID GAZARD: Alright thanks see you mate.

MIKE KELLY: Plenty of time for debate David and I'm looking forward to it mate.

DAVID GAZARD: Ok, no worries.

CRAIG ALLEN: You call him an extreme candidate?

MIKE KELLY: I do. He is someone that Tony Abbott has selected so he can stack Parliament with people who think like him, that are from the extreme right, and I don't think that's what the country wants.

We don't like people who are extreme leftists or extreme rightists, you know people with commonsense who understand what the real world is about and want real solutions for real problems.

DAVID GAZARD: Given there's been a preference deal with the Greens, if you're to the right of Bob Brown you are an extreme right winger for Mike Kelly.

So, yeah look, I you know, I don't even think that's worthy of comment, to be honest.

CRAIG ALLEN: Cheap shot from him?

DAVID GAZARD: Oh look I'll let others decide that. I'm just going to get on working hard, fighting for people. You know, I've worked for a whole range of people right across the political spectrum. No one's ever applied any kind of factional label to me before, I think, you know that's one of the things that I've tried to stay out of.

And you haven't always had the easiest of times. You've been bailed up and some of your ministers have been bailed up over the last week or two?

MIKE KELLY: Yeah one of the things I was keen to do was to do it my way. You know I wasn't from a political background and they asked me to do this.

And it was a big decision to make to leave the Army; I was very torn about that. I said if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it my way and I didn't want any artificiality about it.

We wanted to make sure that we were people as direct and straight with the community as possible.

CRAIG ALLEN: Of course, that comes with risks.

TOBBACONIST: Because of the Rudd Government I have two tobacconists, eight people, I have to shut on Wednesday.

POLICE OFFICER: Mate, you've been asked to go okay.

LAWN BOWLER: Lovely ball, well done.

CRAIG ALLEN: Queanbeyan's normally a friendly enough place. Just ask the ladies at the local bowls club.

LAWN BOWLER: Well, living in Jerrabomberra is like living in heaven, absolutely wonderful.

CRAIG ALLEN: But there is still a healthy cynicism about all the political attention that rolls around every three years or so.

Do you get a little bit sick of the politicians tripping over the border to Queanbeyan as often as they do around election time, making big promises?

LAWN BOWLER: Well, that's par for the course, isn't it? I think they've all done it, haven't they? It would be disappointing if they didn't, yes.

CRAIG ALLEN: But do things change in between election years?

LAWN BOWLER: Not really, no. Our hospitals aren't functioning any better. That's one of the main things, and our roads are not better.

LAWN BOWLER: I'm listening extremely carefully to everything that they're all saying, and I'm finding it very frustrating at the moment we haven't heard anything, so I'm waiting for something real to be said instead of just moving forward or whatever.

LAWN BOWLER: We've been waiting for a ring road since I moved here in 35 years ago, and we're still waiting, so I don't know when we're going to get one.

DAVID GAZARD: One thing residents have told me right across the region, right across Queanbeyan, is they want the big trucks off the road.

CRAIG ALLEN: Are you a bit cynical about politicians and their promises?

LAWN BOWLER: Very, very, yeah.

LAWN BOWLER: Full of promises but when they get there they seem to forget what they've said or it's all talk no action sort of thing. I know things can't be done straight away but they can at least start sort of thing.

CRAIG ALLEN: When Stateline hit the streets of the electorate, Labor was being warned not to underestimate the depth of feeling over Kevin Rudd's sudden and bloody demise.

VOX POP: I thought it was absolutely shocking. It was disgusting. Any man who could be treated like that, I felt very sorry for him and it should never have happened.

VOX POP: But I didn't vote for Julia Gillard, that's for sure. So I won't vote for her again this year. I voted for Kevin Rudd.

CRAIG ALLEN: How do you think Kevin Rudd was handled? Do you think he was treated fairly?

VOX POP: No, I do not. That's why I'm not voting for them.

CRAIG ALLEN: Does that come up as a topic for you, and do you constantly feel like you have to be defending Julia Gillard?

MIKE KELLY: I've had a few people talk to me directly about it because they're more concerned about their specific issues, but of course it was a painful experience for me, too. You know, It was something very difficult I think for all of the class of 2007, I think Nicola Roxon expressed it best when she said like, for us like watching your parents get divorced. But it was one of those situations where hard decisions have to be made in the national interest.

CATHERINE MOORE, GREENS CANDIDATE: David, hi...

DAVID: Hi.

CRAIG ALLEN: But there is another grassroots campaign in action, too.

CATHERINE MOORE: I think one of the roles of standing as a Green, apart from getting the issues out, is to be in touch with local communities, and let them feel that they've got a voice, and I think that's what the Greens do really well.

CRAIG ALLEN: While recent polls put Labor in an Eden Monaro-winning position, the Greens say they can influence the outcome.

NEWSAGENT OWNER: You're going to go very well this year, the Greens.

CATHERINE MOORE: I hope so.

NEWSAGENT OWNER: Very well indeed.

CATHERINE MOORE: I think it's time people realise that we are a viable alternative and it's not just the two parties.

CRAIG ALLEN: Do you dream of the one day that the Green, that a Greens candidate by pip the two major parties in the race for Eden Monaro?

CATHERINE MOORE: Well look, you know, what I really think it's about is about the issues to be dealt with in the way they ought to be. And quite frankly I would be quite happy to go and sit in my studio and do my artwork if I knew that the major parties were taking on the issues that the Greens have been talking about for so long, as long as the job gets done it actually doesn't matter who it is. So what I dream of is the day when there's no need for Greens because mainstream politics takes up the issues that ought to have been taken up for so long.

CRAIG ALLEN: But competition for the seat isn't for the faint hearted.